Styrofoam Homemade Coolers

Styrofoam is best used for packaging fragile things that must be assembled and sold out of a box and for keeping items hot or cold, as the styrofoam is a good insulating material for both hot and cold temperatures. Excess styrofoam from items you have purchased is usually just thrown out, but with some resourcefulness you can turn the styrofoam into a homemade cooler.

Big Styrofoam Pieces

By taking styrofoam from the packages of large items you have purchased, such as computer monitors, televisions or tabletop pieces of furniture, you will have the basic materials to build your own styrofoam cooler. If you don't have any of this packaging styrofoam on hand, going to a local electronics or furniture store might be the best place to acquire a selection of unwanted styrofoam pieces. Ask an employee if you can have some of the spare styrofoam out of the back.

Connecting Styrofoam

Once you have all your styrofoam pieces for the cooler, you'll need to connect them so the cooler will be able to hold the ice, water and heavy liquids or food you are planning on keeping cool. This means you first need to break or cut your pieces of styrofoam up to form the basic body of the cooler and then find another piece which will work for the top. Now, when connecting these spare pieces of styrofoam, the material can be heated up and melted together so that one piece will at least stick to the other. Then by using a heavy duty waterproof glue or by taping up the outside of the cooler with duct tape, you can seal all the other areas of the pieced-together styrofoam cooler.

Care for Cooler

As this cooler is homemade, it will most likely be fragile and need a certain amount of care when used. This homemade styrofoam cooler is probably best for backyard BBQs or events around the house, as too much travel, carting around and exposure to the elements or the outside world will probably lead to it breaking down. Still, having it handy to keep your food and drinks cool in another location while you enjoy yourself is worth the effort to construct one, or more.